Share

cover art for James Martin: one of Britain's best-loved chefs and King of Saturday morning television

Desert Island Dishes

James Martin: one of Britain's best-loved chefs and King of Saturday morning television

Season 12, Ep. 8

For the season finale my guest is James Martin.

 

James has been a mainstay on our tv screens since the mid 1990’s. It’s safe to say that Saturday mornings wouldn’t be the same without him with his hugely popular shows on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and now Saturday Mornings with James Martin on ITV.

 

He appeared on the Big Breakfast but it was arguably his role on Ready Steady Cook – a show that changed food television - that catapulted him to the kind of fame usually reserved for boy bands. At it’s peak 15 million people were tuning in to watch the show on Friday evenings and Martin with his trademark bandana and youthful good looks was a firm fan favourite.

 

But this was not a story of overnight success. It was built on years of hard work and perfecting his craft. James grew up on a farm in North Yorkshire where hard graft was a part of daily life from a young age. At the age of 8 he was working in restaurants and by the time he was 12 he had a catering company catering weddings. It’s no surprise then that by the age of 21 he achieved the covetable role of head chef at Hotel and Bistro du Vin in Winchester.

 

Alongside this, he’s written countless cook books, he’s set up a cookery school, run restaurants all over the world, gained his pilots license and has an envy inducing collection of vintage cars. He Recently won the Fortnum & Mason 2021 Personality of the Year, as voted for by the public

 

When James Martin was just seven he told his family he would be a head chef by the age of 30, drive a Ferrari when he was 35 and own his own restaurant by 40.

And whilst his “grandad told him to be quiet and get a proper bleedin’ job,” as it turned out, he made head chef at 21, bought a Ferrari three years later and opened his own bistro on a cruise ship when he was 26.


James has said, “Those dreams were odd then,” “It was a bit like Billy Elliot – unheard of. “But I knew that was what I wanted to do and that was that.”


--


Thank you to Bordeaux Wines for sponsoring this episode of Desert Island Dishes with James Martin. Don't forget to head over to social media where you can find out more by following Bordeaux Wines @bordeauxwinesuk

--


Thank you to our season sponsor Cooks Matches for helping us to bring the podcast to you for the last 8 weeks. Find them on Instagram @cooksmatches and head to their website www.cooksmatches.co.uk to find out more.


--


Thank you for listening! We will be back soon with another season I promise.


If you don't already and you would like to, then do come and follow me on Instagram @desertislanddishes


You can sign up for the newsletter and find a whole host of different recipes at www.desertislanddishes.co

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 4. Karan Gokani the founder of Hoppers on his love of Sri Lanka, his passion for cooking and the best dish he's ever eaten

    47:15
    My guest today is the founder of Hoppers - Karan Gokani. Combining his passion for cooking with his love of the country of Sri Lanka he has built a restaurant empire celebrating the food of Sri Lanka and Southern India. I went to Sri Lanka last year for the first time and completely fell in love with the food. I’ve been to Hoppers many times so I kind of knew what to expect but honestly it’s just the most amazing country and the most delicious food so it was brilliant to hear from Karan about his love for it it too.I know I told you that this was going to just be a little short season for the month of February but already we have come to the last episode of this mini season – it’s gone very quickly but fear not as we are already recording the next – so hopefully wont be too long to wait. Another reminder to any one listening – if you haven’t yet subscribed to my newsletter Dinner Tonight, please do think about it. It’s one easy weeknight recipe, often one pan, mostly 30 minutes or less and I look forwards to writing it every week and it’s honestly amazing that there are so many people reading it. Over 22,000 of you now which is amazing but there’s always room for more. https://dinnertonight.substack.com/I do hope you enjoy todays episode and thank you for listening. If you don’t already, come and follow me on Instagram @desertislandishes and you can sign up for the newsletter and find a whole host of different recipes at www.desertislanddishes.co Thank you again to HG Walter our sponsor for this month of Desert Island Dishes, and thank you for listening!
  • Side Dish: The Dream Dinner Party with Ravneet Gill (mini episode)

    24:47
    This week we have Ravneet Gill on The Dream Dinner Party– she is an extraordinary pastry chef who just makes the most amazing cakes and puddings. She’s also a TV presenter and cook book author – her third – Baking for Pleasure is out now and it’s all about baking for the pure joy of it. She has been a guest on Desert Island Dishes – a few years ago but well worth a listen. I knew Rav loves to entertain so was great to hear more about that and how she envisages her Dream Dinner Party.Thank you to our sponsor for this month – the brilliant family run butcher HG Walter. www.hgwalter.comI do hope you enjoyed todays episode and make sure you’re subscribed to catch all episodes of The Dream Dinner Party and Desert Island Dishes. Thank you so much for listening bye!
  • 3. Bee Wilson, food writer and historian on what comfort food means to her, the joy of potatoes and her 7 Desert Island Dishes

    43:45
    My guest today is Bee Wilson. In all honesty, Bee is one of the most interesting and thought provoking food writers and historians we’ve ever known.She is the author of 8 books about food and eating. Her books have won multiple awards, and she’s won 5 Guild of food writers awards for her journalism. After over 20 years of food writing, this year she released her first cookbook, The Secret of Cooking, something she says she’s dreamt of doing since the age of 8.She has been described by Yotam Ottolenghi as "the ultimate food scholar" and writes brilliantly about all aspects of our current food culture.She counts Nigella and Diana Henry as friends (and fans) and I so enjoyed getting to chat to her and hear her Desert Island Dishes. I hope you enjoy this one and thank you so much for listening. A huge thank you to our sponsor HG Walter for bringing the podcast to you this month - visit them at www.hgwalter.com
  • Side Dish: The Dream Dinner Party with Zena Kamgaing (mini episode)

    24:03
    This week we have Zena Kamgaing on The Dream Dinner Party. I love bringing you Desert Island dishes but I also selfishly do love the dream dinner party – it’s a just a little bit of fun, I love how everyone of the guests have really embraced the theme and taken it seriously – in a very unserious way. Zena was no exception – I love the sound of her dream dinner party – there is a part in this where she gets me to play one of the games she likes to play but we cut out the actual game part as I would have given away the answers and potentially ruined your fun. Hope you enjoy listening to the dream dinner party as much as I enjoy bringing it to you and I always want to hear from you the listener about who you would be inviting and what you would be serving!Thank you to our sponsor for this month – the brilliant family run butcher HG Walter. www.hgwalter.comSo there we have it Gennaro’s dream dinner party is over, the food has been eaten and the guests have gone home. I do hope you enjoyed todays episode and make sure you’re subscribed to catch all episodes of The Dream Dinner Party and Desert lsland Dishes. Thank you so much for listening!
  • 2. David Loftus the photographer whose work has resulted in more than 30 million book sales on the dishes that have shaped him

    01:04:22
    My guest this week is the world famous photographer David Loftus. David is one of the most influential photographers of all time often fondly referred to as Lord Loftus. Award-winning and internationally acclaimed, David has done the photography for the books of Jamie Oliver, Rachel Khoo, Gennaro Contaldo, Elizabeth David and April Bloomfield. For over 20 years, David has photographed over 150 books including all but one of Jamie Oliver’s international best-sellers. His work with Jamie Oliver alone has resulted in book sales of over 30 million copies. You will have looked a David’s photographs even if you were unaware of it at the time. Thank you so much to HG Walter for sponsoring this month of Desert Island Dishes. Head to www.hgwalter.com for nationwide delivery.
  • Side Dish: The Dream Dinner Party with Rick Stein (mini episode)

    18:42
    Hi I’m Margie Nomura and welcome to another episode of our side side dish: The Dream Dinner Party. This is the mini episode where we invite a guest to tell us all about their dream dinner party. And this week we have the one and only Rick Stein – I know so many of you loved his episode of Desert Island Dishes so I’m thrilled he also joined us to share his Dream Dinner Party. I think Rick would be a popular choice on lots of people Dream Dinner Party guest list so it was so interesting to hear who he would pick. Love that Ricks dinner parties all include a lot of dancing and also some very good tips about the actual art of hosting in this one – ensuring you don’t run out of time and that you don’t want to be still cooking when people are there, which I very much agree with. Thank you to our sponsor for this month – the brilliant family run butcher HG Walter. www.hgwalter.com
  • 1. Claudia Roden one of the greatest food writers of all time on the dishes that have shaped her

    58:07
    We are back! For a short mini series but back nonetheless! I missed you! And I'm very excited that today my guest today is Claudia Roden.Described as the food writer who never goes out of fashion. She began collecting recipes in 1956, while a student in London. The Suez crisis of that year turned many people from Egypt into refugees: preserving the food culture of the Jewish community was as much practical as it was emotional. These recipes led to her debut masterpiece A Book of Middle Eastern Food which really cemented Claudia’s future as one of the greatest food writers we’ve ever known. Her book revolutionised Western attitudes to the cuisines of the Middle East. Her books have been loved by not only home cooks but also have laid the foundation for many of the most ambitious professional kitchens, and heavily influenced some of the most well known chefs working today, from the River Café, to Ottolenghi, Alistair Little and Moro to name just a few. Claudia’s talent for mixing up the scholarly with the practical is what really has set her apart. Often described as an anthropologist as well as a historian, essayist and poet - her books are as much about culture an anthropology as they are about recipes. But she says she doesn’t follow scholarly rules, and didn’t go to university, she is a food writer through and through who simply finds a dish and wants to learn all about it. What is clear is that she is the Master of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours and a hero for the industry and people who love food. Thank you so much to our sponsor HG Walter for helping us to bring the show to you. Find them here: https://www.hgwalter.com
  • 34. Rick Stein on his accidental journey to become a restaurateur, his enduring love of fish and the best dish he's ever eaten

    48:27
    My guest today is Rick Stein. A highly requested guest, I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did recording it. Rick is, of course, a chef, restaurateur, cook book author and television presenter. He has written over 25 cookery books, a memoir and made over 30 television programmes. His latest cookbook, Simple Suppers is out now. It has been nearly 50 years since he first opened The Fish Restaurant in Padstow, an area of Cornwall he fell in love with at a young age and has made his home. Despite his successes, Rick describes himself as an accidental restaurateur – who never planned on a career in food. And yet how lucky we are that his dreams of running a nightclub were quashed by the local authorities and led instead to the Stein restaurant empire we know today. He is the man who could pretty much entirely be credited with bringing an appreciation of fish to the UK masses, something he says he didn’t set out to do intentionally, it just made sense at the time. Despite his obvious success, Rick has said, “I’ve definitely got a sense of not being very good at stuff. It’s sort of absurd because, you know, I’ve done really quite well for myself, but I still really doubt myself. It’s just the way I am.”Simple Suppers is out now, available at all good bookstores. And don't forget if you want to enter our Fortnum and Mason giveaway with the chance to win one of their Magic of Christmas Hampers worth £300 sign up for the newsletter via the website www.desertislanddishes.co and I will be sending out more information. Thank you to Georgie my producer for all her hard work and thank you for listening!xx
  • Side Dish: The Dream Dinner Party with Donna Hay (mini episode)

    19:08
    This week we have Donna Hay on the mini episode The Dream Dinner Party. Donna is the much loved and respected queen of cooking in Australia – she’s got a new cookbook out Even More Basics to Brilliance – which is the follow up to her first of this series. I was honoured to host Donna's supperclub at Fortnum and Mason a few weeks ago where we talked about the new book and then were served the most delicious food all from the book. Donna is extremely fun and she did not disappoint with her Dream Dinner Party which i think I describe as amazing many times in this but I just couldn’t get over how – well amazing (!) sounded. I do hope you enjoyed today’s episode and make sure you’re subscribed to catch all episodes of The Dream Dinner Party and Desert Island Dishes. Thank you so much for listening bye!